w they work?"

She drew a little closer, and as her curls brushed his cheek Wunpost
reeled as if from a blow.

"Sure," he said and gave her a kiss just as if she had really asked for
it.

CHAPTER XIII

WITH HAY HOOKS

It is no more than right that the first kiss should be forgiven,
especially if no one is to blame, and Wilhelmina forgave him very
sweetly; but there was a wild, hunted look in Wunpost's bold eyes and he
wondered what would happen next. Something had come over him very
suddenly and made him forget the restraint which all ladies, even in
overalls, laid upon him; and when their hands had touched some great
force had drawn them together and he had kissed her before she knew it.
But instead of resisting she had yielded for a moment, and then pushed
him away very slowly; and he still remembered, like part of a dream, her
heart beating against his breast. But it was all over now, and she was
toying with the field-glasses which he had brought from the city as a
present.

"Isn't it wonderful," she said, "how we first came together? And the
first place I looked for when you gave me these glasses was that wash
where you made your two fires."

"If you'd had them then," ventured Wunpost at last, "you'd've been able
to see me plain."

"Yes," she sighed, "but I found you anyhow. Doesn't it seem a long time
ago? And it was only the end of last May."

"Something doing every minute," burst out Wunpost gaily, "say, I've
found two mines this summer! What did old Eells think of the Stinging
Lizard? I hooked him right on that--he'll be careful what he grabs next
time. And when he jumps the next claim of mine I reckon he'll sink a few
feet before he builds any more ten thousand dollar roads!"

He chuckled and ran his hand through his tumbled hair, which always
stood straight on end, but Billy was looking at him curiously.

"Mr. Eells was up to see us," she said at last, "and he claims you
salted that mine. And he even told Father that you located it up our
canyon just on purpose so we could use his road!"

"And what did you say?" inquired Wunpost teasingly. "Didn't I tell you,
right here, I was going to do it?"

"Oh, but you were just fooling!" she protested laughing, "and I told him
you did nothing of the kind. And then Father stepped in, when he heard
what we were talking about, and he told Mr. Eells what he thought of
him."

"No, but I did salt the mine!" spoke up Wunpost quickly, "there wasn't
an